The Daily Joe

  Photo of the Day 212/365 Beautiful Day for a Walk at the Lake      Yesterday was just too nice a day to stay home, inside. I decided to take a drive and take a walk to clear my head and just "be present". The sky was blue with puffy clouds, the humidity was way down (a rarity for July) and the temperature was moderate. I stayed on the side without beaches and there were surprisingly few people so it was very peaceful walk - refreshing and beautiful.

  Photo of the Day 211/365 Over the Road into the Sunset   After a belated birthday dinner, we decided to take the "scenic" way home - i.e. -the back roads. We saw many spots to get nice photos but there was too much traffic. However, I took this photo as we crested a hill and the sun was setting to the left. The road seemed to reach into the sky - I wish, sometimes, I could ride into the sunset, kind of like the old-time cowboys.

  Photo of the Day 210/365 Sun Sinking through the Clouds     I took a quick walk at dusk to get some fresh air. I didn't think there would be a good sunset but took the chance. I looked through the telephoto lens and zoomed all the way out when I noted the sun just about the get lost in the clouds. It was gone about 1 minute later.

   Sunset Sky over the Hay Field   Last evening, on the way home from my teaching duties, I noted the beautiful sky. I didn't want to be so repetitive and take a shot at the same places I've been going, so I decided to take the long way and go to a farm that I hadn't been to for awhile. I walked down into their hay field and this view greeted me. A very "country" scene of a field with the hay rolls made up and the sunset sky beyond the trees.

  Photo of the Day 208/365 Pretty Sunset Sky   This photo came from my archives from a couple of years ago. I've been waiting for the right mood to post it. It is a very wide view of a post-sunset sky. To me, it was almost the perfect dusk sky. The clouds are beautifully colored with orange and gold while the sky is a wonderful blue.

  Photo of the Day 207/365 Early Morning Clouds over the Farm Road On the way to work last week, I spied the sun trying to shine out from between clouds. The colors made it seem as if sunrise were happening but that had been over an hour prior. The morning fog had risen to voer the hilltops and the colors even hit the fog. The road leading into the farm made it seem, to me, even more inviting.

  Photo of they Day 206/365 Old Barn on a Summer Day     While on a walk on Sunday, I spotted this old barn by the road. I've passed the barn hundreds of times, but this time, the angle, the sunshine, the clouds, and just the day, made a combination that made me take this photo. I was warm and the air was still, and the barn reminded me of long ago and my youth on a farm. Taking the photo in black and white just enhanced the nostalgia for me.

  Photo of the Day 205/365 Another Beautiful Summer Sunset  This photo, taken last evening was another example of watching the sky. Most of the day was cloudless. The afternoon started to look stormy but the rain clouds passed and the sunset held the clouds and this was the result.

  Photo of the Day 204/365 Summer Morning Sky over an Orchard   We were on a road trip yesterday to see the musical "Annie" at a local theater. Luckily for me, Google Maps took us the "fastest" way, which happened to take us through our local countryside. Our ear has many orchards and this one caught my eye as we drove by.

  Photo of the day 203/365 Golden Sunset through the Clouds   I saw the sun sinking lower last evening and thought I should go for a walk to see if I could get a new sunset. When I stepped outside, I noticed how clear the sky way and wondered if it was worth it. I kept walking and when I got to a clearing, I saw the clouds at the horizon enveloping the sun. I took a good number of photos before the sun disappeared.  This photo was one of my favorites.

  Photo of the Day 202/365 Driving on the Mountain Road on a Summer's Day   I managed to capture this photo just after leaving my in-laws home a week ago. They live on a mountain in Central PA and the scenery that day was beautiful, although quite warm. It was supposed to storm, but hose had passed by quickly and left clear blue skies. This photo reminds me of a simpler time in my youth, when I didn't have a care in the world. Some days, I wish I could step back into those days.

  Photo of the Day 201/365 Hazy Sunset at the Farm   I took this photo the other night while out for a walk trying to catch, you likely guessed it, a nice sunset. Well, there were no clouds - just a hazy, smoky sky, and a red sun. So, I searched for something of interest to put in the photo. I tried a number of things but as we walked by the barn, I noted the sun between the barn and the tree. I gave it a try and this is what I came up with.

  Photo of the Day 200/365  Fiery Sunset Sky   This sunset sky amazed me. The sun had gone behind some fairly thick, dark clouds. That mixed with the smoke from the wildfires made for a very vivid color palette.  The camera never (for me) captures what my eyes see, so I did some editing to get the colors to show the way I saw them.

  Photo of the day 199/365 Sunny Summer Afternoon over the Hay Fields   While out on a road trip over the weekend, I took many shots of the countryside. This photo caught my eye with the hay bales, the fields yet to be cut, and the blue hills and sky. It seemed, to me, very representative, of the farm country close to where we live.

  Photo of the day 198/365 Late Afternoon Sun and Clouds over the Hills and Fields    We went on a road trip this past weekend and the weather was supposed to be stormy. Well, to our (my) benefit, the storms came the night before and we enjoyed a good deal of sunshine and clouds on the trip. This photo overlooking the fields and hills just as the sun came out from behind the clouds, was a keeper for me. This seemed to exude the summer mood for me.

  Photo of the Day 197/365 Afternoon Storm Clouds on the Horizon   I took this photo while out on a walk with my youngest. I saw the storm clouds forming but wanted more than just the clouds. I tried to frame them by taking the photo while standing under a tree and centered the group of trees to add some foreground interest. I hope you all like it.

  Blood Red Sunset over the Farm We've had some awesome sunsets lately. I've missed a few of them due to having too much to do or just being too tired to go trekking for a perfect spot. When I get a chance to be on the road at sunset, I take advantage and take as many different shots and scenes as I can. This was one from a week or so ago. The flat fields (despite having crops in it), the trees and the barn make a nice foreground for the red sky.

  Photo of the Day 195/365  Dramatic Morning Sky On the way to work yesterday morning, the sky caught my eye. Normally, the sun is now too high (for me) to capture a good morning photograph. There are times when the fog or mist makes the scene interesting enough but normally not. Yesterday, the sky was extremely dramatic and I had to pull over to get a couple of photos. This one, with the grasses in the foreground and trees behind make the photo.

Photo of the day 194/365 Dirt Road through the Woods     My youngest and I went for a walk earlier in the week and she said we should take this side road. "It's kind of an alley" she said. It was the road behind a development to the sewage treatment plant for the homes. It wound around through the woods. I saw this view and despite the heat and humidity, it WAS cooler and gave me the feeling of a road through the woods.

  Photo of the Day 193/365 Almost like Fire and Smoke at Sunset The other evening we went for a drive to get out of the house, try to catch a pretty sunset, and (at my request) get some ice cream.  Somewhere in the middle of the country roads, at a little park, we pulled in and I saw the sun, just about to set.  The clouds made it look (to me) as if the sun had set the sky on fire and the smoke was coming from it. The varied colors of the clouds and the faint blues didn't hurt to make it a beautiful sunset.

  Photo of the Day 192/365 Pretty Summer Sunset    The family went for a walk the other night, just to get some fresh air. We tried to wait until closer to sunset to enjoy the cooler air and to hopefully catch a sunset. When we went out, the clouds had obscured most of the western sky but they seemed to part and I captured this view of a pretty summer sunset over the trees of the neighborhood. The small bands of blue above the tinges of red and orange made this particular shot special for me.

  Photo of the Day 191/365 Pink Sunset Clouds down a Country Road You never know what can be until you look away from the sunset. There was a gorgeous sunset sky (obscured by the trees) when we had to turn.  When we turned we saw the pinks reflecting on the clouds away from the sun. I took this out of the front windshield of the car as we drove.

  Photo of the Day 190/365 Farm and Setting Sun   I requested that we go out for a drive last evening, because I felt we had a chance for a nice sunset. We got our family into the car and off we went. We drove many back roads and were in awe of the sky, clouds and setting sun. I specifically asked for a number of stops (which you'll likely see over the coming days) and this is one of my favorites for the evening. You can see the daylight still on the barn and the sun just about  dip below the horizon. The sky colors were amazing. I did no editing to this - this is what my iPhone recorded and it was VERY close to the view I saw.  

   Red Barn on a Summer's Day Out for a walk the other day, I spotted this red barn on the neighbor's property. I've seen it before, but with the blue sky and the puffy white clouds, it just seemed too "summer" to pass up.

   Wishing I was back in Acadia National Park   This photo is very representative of the many, many years I've traveled to Maine and to Acadia National Park, specifically. It is my happy place. There is almost nowhere I'd rather be than there. This summer scene brings back memories of the land, the fresh air, the fog, the sea, the ponds, lakes and streams. My son got engaged there!  I've been there in every season but winter.  Ah, therein lies the problem -  winter. Winters are brutal and I have a spouse who does not care for the extra cold and snow and I love her more than Acadia - so we stay here and visit often....sigh

  Storm Clouds Gathering on the Horizon    I took this photo some summers ago but in going through my photo archives, the scene is very close to another I saw very recently. The storm clouds in the afternoon here have been very ominous. When the clouds are on the horizon, they are tall and beautiful, but when coming near, they are very ominous. This scene was taken where we used to live, at the farm across the road. Hope your July is going well for you.

   Storm Clouds as the Sun Sets  It's been a stormy week in my area. The storms seem to come on in the afternoon (normal for summer) but they seem so sporadic as one can go for a walk and the sun is shining and one needs to watch the horizon for clouds. Earlier in the week, the sun was just setting as the storm clouds came upon us. There was blue sky, the sun, and the ominous clouds.

  Sunset Sky over the Clearing   While out on a walk two nights ago, I saw the clouds covering up the sun just before actual "sunset". The clouds were about to move and show the sun so the edge of the clouds was lit brightly. The clearing just off the woods was alive with bird sounds - it was a peaceful evening.

  Sunset Reflecting on Clouds above the Field       While on a walk with the family last evening, We went out at sunset so we could (possibly) catch the sunset. I came  upon an open field where the clouds were reflecting the waning light of the sunset. The blue sky and the fading light gave the field just enough light and the colors were just outstanding. I hope you find it as peaceful as I do.

  Late Afternoon Sun and Clouds over the Cove    While on vacation, I normally post sunsets (as they are my favorite) or coastal shots, this one never got posted. The sunset that followed was just too good. So, I post it now. The sun was just about to be overtaken by the coming clouds and fog. It still makes me want to go back....how about TODAY?

  Morning Mist over the Fields   This photo of the pre-dawn sky shows the wet field from the night before and warm morning mist. The sky had cleared, but there were still a few clouds left, which gave the photo more interest. The mist added mystery and all together made a nice photo.